Retriever mechanism for liquid delivery hoses



Dec. 8, 1964 u ow 3,160,333

RETRIEVER MECHANISM FOR LIQUID DELIVERY HOSES Filed June 7, 1962 INV ENTOR.

R- Elun uw W +7744! Qdann75 3,160,333 Patented Dec. 8, 1964 3,160,333RETREVER MECHANISM FOR LIQ DELIVERY HGSES Roy R. Budrow, Springfield,Masa, assignor to Gilbert &

Barker Manufacturing Company, West Springfield,

Muse, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed June 7, 1962, Ser. No. 2%,7923 Claims. (Cl. 22253tl) The present invention relates to improvements inretriever mechanisms for delivery hoses of liquid dispensing units ofthe type commonly found at service stations.

It is, at present, an accepted practice to provide a clamp on thedelivery hoses of dispensing units for gasoline or the like. A cable isconnected to this clamp and means are provided for yieldingly retractingthe cable within the housing from an elevated point so that an invertedloop in the hose is automatically formed when the delivery nozzle isplaced on the usual hanger therefor. The hose is then compactly drapedat the dispensing unit so there is no danger of its being driven overand ruptured by a car or truck.

While this approach is effective, there is still a need for longerdelivery hoses than can be provided in this manner. This need hasfurther been emphasized by the growing demand for dispensing units whichhave a low silhouette.

Accordingly, the primary object of the invention is to enable theeffective use of longer flexible delivery hoses on such dispensingunits.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for attaining theabove ends which may be incorporated in retriever mechanisms of existingdesign with a minimum of modification so that the invention may bereadily and economically employed in original equipment or in dispensingunits already in use.

The present invention is characterized by the provision of means forautomatically forming a double inverted loop in the delivery hose of adispensing unit when the nozzle attached to the hose is placed on thehanger. Preferably, these means comprise a pair of clamps secured to thehose and spaced apart along the length thereof. A yieldingly retractablecable of the type referred to above is secured to one of the clamps andslidably passes through the other clamp to form the double loop in thehose when the nozzle is placed on the hanger.

The above and other related objects and features of the invention willbe apparent upon reading the following description of the disclosurefound in the accompanying drawing and the novelty thereof pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation diagrammatically showing a dispensing unitin which the present invention is incorporated;

FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are side elevations of this device showing variouspositions of the delivery hose; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of two hose clamps employed herein.

The liquid dispensing unit seen in the drawings comprises a housing Itand is provided with the usual and necessary mechanism for the retaildelivery of gasoline through a flexible delivery hose 12. The inner endof the hose 12 is connected to a liquid delivery line 14 (FIG. 1) withinthe housing In. A nozzle 16 is attached to the outer or free end of thehose 12. The usual arrangement is that the dispensing unit is mounted onan island in a service station permitting gasoline or the like to bedelivered to cars on either side of the island.

FIG. 2 illustrates the disposition of the delivery hose 12 when it isnot in use. It will be noted that the hose 1-2 is neatly draped on thedispensing unit it? so that it will not be run over. At this time, thenozzle 16 is inserted into a boot and supported by a hanger 18 (see FIG.3) with the hose stored in two inverted loops.

For delivery of gasoline to a nearby car, the nozzle 16 may be removedfrom the hanger and the hose drawn the necessary distance, as shown inFIG. 3. For a car somewhat further away, the nozzle may readily be drawnto the position of FIG. 4, and then for a vehicle at an extremedistance, the delivery hose may be stretched from the dispensing unitthrough its full length, as indicated in FIG. 5. This situation wouldparticularly be advantageous where the filler pipe is on the oppositeside of the car from the dispensing unit.

The means for forming the double inverted storage loop (FIG. 2)preferably comprise a flexible cable 20 (FIGS. 4, 5), a means 22 (FIG..1) for yieldingly retracting the cable 20 within the housing 10, and apair of hose clamps 24 and 26. The yieldable retracting means 22 maytake the form of a spring device, as shown in US. Patent No. 2,564,623,or movable weights as in US. Patent No. 2,694,601, or any other suitablemeans. The pair of clamps 24 and 26 are secured to the hose 12 at spacedpoints along the length thereof. The cable 20 is secured to one of theseclamps and slidably received by the other. Preferably, the cable 20 issecured to the outer clamp 26, as illustrated in FIG. 6, and slidablypasses through an aperture in the inner clamp 24.

Using the described arrangement, after the hose 12 has been extended toits full length (FIG. 5), the clamp 26 will be drawn toward the housing10 as the nozzle '16 is being returned toward the hanger 18. As thecable retracts the hose, the clamp 26 is brought toward clamp 24 asshown by FIG. 4, the hose commencing to form its looped condition atthis intermediate stage. Then, both clamps are drawn together andagainst the housing 10 (FIG. 3) adjacent the point from which the cableextends. When the nozzle is placed on hanger 18 as in FIG. 2, the clampsthus form a double inverted storage loop at the side of housing 10. Thecenter portions of the inner and the outer inverted loops are suspendedby clamp 24 and by clamp 26 respectively.

The dispensing unit illustrated in the drawings represents a commercialdesign having a height of only 44 inches.

By disposing the outlet of the cable 20 from the housing it) at a pointclosely adjacent the upper end thereof, it is possible to obtain aneffective hose length of 2.6 feet,

and yet maintain the low silhouette of the dispensing unit which isconsidered to be quite attractive.

Employing the yieldably retracting cable 2-1) which is an existingfeature in many dispensing units already in service or in currentproduction, enables the present invention to be incorporated in existingdispensing unit designs simply by increasing the elfective length of thecable 20, if that be necessary, and adding a single clamp to thedelivery hose. Thus, there is little need for modification of existingequipment in order to take advantage of the benefits of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as novel anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Hose retrieving mechanism in combination with a liquid dispensingdevice of the type employed in service stations, said dispensing devicecomprising a housing, a flexible hose for the delivery of liquid, theinner end of said hose being connected to a liquid delivery line withinsaid housing, a dispensing nozzle attached to the free end of said hose,and a hanger for receiving and detachably supporting said nozzle whennot in use, said retrieving mechanism comprising a cable extending fromthe housing at an elevated point, means for yieldingly retracting saidcable within said housing, a pair of clamps secured to said hose inspaced relation from the inner end thereof and from each other along thelength thereof, said cable being-secured to one of said clamps andslidably received by the other of said clamps, whereby the two clampswill be drawn together and toward the housing for storage of the hose intwo inverted loops when the nozzle is placed on said'hanger. 1 I

2. Hose retrieving mechanism in combination with" a liquid dispensingdevice of the type employed in service stations, said dispensing devicecomprising a housing, a flexible hose for the delivery of liquid, theinner end of said hose being connected to a liquid delivery line withinsaid housing, a dispensing nozzle attached to the free end of said hoseand a hangerfor receiving and detachably supporting said nozzle when notin use, said retrieving mechanism comprising a cable extending from thehousing at an elevated point closely adjacent the upper end thereof,means for 'yieldably retracting said cable within said housing, apair'of clamps secured to said hose in spaced relation from the innerend thereof and from each other along the length thereof, said cablebeing secured to the clamp nearer to said nozzle end and slidablyreceived by the other clamp nearer to the inner end of said hose wherebythe twoclamps Will be drawn together and t0 ward the housing for storageofthe hose in two inverted loops when the nozzle is placed on saidhanger.

3. Hose retrieving mechanism as in claim 2 wherein the two clamps arespaced apart along the length of the hose a distance somewhat greaterthan the height of said dispensing unit and sufiicient to form a loop insaid delivery hose which extends approximately to the lower end of saiddispensing unit when the nozzle is placed on the Wolfe Mar. 6, 1951Grise Apr. 17, '1956

1. HOSE RETRIEVING MECHANISM IN COMBINATION WITH A LIQUID DISPENSINGDEVICE OF THE TYPE EMPLOYED IN SERVICE STATIONS, SAID DISPENSING DEVICECOMPRISING A HOUSING, A FLEXIBLE HOSE FOR THE DELIVERY OF LIQUID, THEINNER END OF SAID HOSE BEING CONNECTED TO A LIQUID DELIVERY LINE WITHINSAID HOUSING, A DISPENSING NOZZLE ATTACHED TO THE FREE END OF SAID HOSE,AND A HANGER FOR RECEIVING AND DETACHABLY SUPPORTING SAID NOZZLE WHENNOT IN USE, SAID RETRIEVING MECHANISM COMPRISING A CABLE EXTENDING FROMTHE HOUSING AT AN ELEVATED POINT, MEANS FOR YIELDINGLY RETRACTING SAIDCABLE WITHIN SAID HOUSING, A PAIR OF CLAMPS SECURED TO SAID HOSE INSPACED RELATION FROM THE INNER END THEREOF AND FROM EACH OTHER ALONG THELENGTH THEREOF, SAID CABLE BEING SECURED TO ONE OF SAID CLAMPS ANDSLIDABLY RECEIVED BY THE OTHER OF SAID CLAMPS, WHEREBY THE TWO CLAMPSWILL BE DRAWN TOGETHER AND TOWARD THE HOUSING FOR STORAGE OF THE HOSE INTWO INVERTED LOOPS WHEN THE NOZZLE IS PLACED ON SAID HANGER.